🇭🇷 Croatia
Europe · FIFA HRV
Key Statistics
Editorial Analysis & Historical Context
Rigorous Analysis: Meet Croatia, the modern-era Uruguay of Europe. Despite having a population smaller than most major city suburbs, they specialize in dragging football giants into exhausting, agonizing extra-time shootouts just to watch them cry.
They have mastered the art of punching above their weight, refusing to go away long after they should have been eliminated. It is a mystery how a nation this small produces midfielders who run for 120 minutes straight—we suspect there is something in the Adriatic sea, or maybe they just copy Uruguay's homework but with less biting.
Tournament History
| Year | Host | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Qatar | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 14 | — |
| 2018 | Russia | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 9 | 18 | — |
| 2014 | Brazil | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 3 | — |
| 2006 | Germany | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 2002 | Korea, Japan | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 1998 | France | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 5 | 15 | — |
| Total | 6 editions | 30 | 17 | 4 | 9 | 43 | 33 | 55 | — |
World Cup Appearances
1998, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022
Economic & Demographic Football Efficiency
Croatia has a population of 3.9M and an estimated GDP of $102.3B. Bilardo Water normalizes goals, points, and championships against demographic and economic scale to measure true football efficiency beyond raw financial advantage.
Per Capita Rankings
| Metric | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Goals per million people | 11.04 | #2 / 84 |
| Points per million people | 14.12 | #2 / 84 |
| Wins per million people | 4.36 | #2 / 84 |
| Trophies per 10M people | — | #37 / 84 |
Per GDP Rankings
| Metric | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Goals per $1B GDP | 0.42 | #3 / 84 |
| Points per $1B GDP | 0.54 | #2 / 84 |
| Wins per $1B GDP | 0.17 | #2 / 84 |
| Trophies per $10B GDP | — | #37 / 84 |